Chapter 3: Kerosene
It was a seemingly peaceful evening in Dreamland. However, that peace was not meant to last. Preparing for takeoff was a gigantic aerial battleship that resembled its owner, Meta Knight. This was the Halberd, a weapon with power to conquer the stars, and it was now ready to begin its long flight.
"Reactor one, output normal, Captain Vul." Sailor said to the second in command.
"Good, now adjust the balancer to...0003!" Vul barked out.
"Done, captain!"
"Good, now let's raise anchor."
The ship began to stir, ready to take flight.
"Check anti-gravity plant. 1, 2, 3, OK! Release the sails, solar level 288! Alright, time for the Halberd to conquer the skies!" Vul said, ecstatic that the airship he and the others put so much time and effort into will finally be able to perform its job.
Meanwhile, Meta Knight was currently waiting in the captain's quarters, gazing out at the window at Orange Ocean's perpetual sunset. As soon as he heard the engines turn on and roar with power, he knew it was time.
"The time has finally come." He exited his quarters and began his walk towards the ship's bridge.
"The time to show our power! Dreamland's lazy lifestyle will end! I will rule!"
While this was going on, a certain pink warrior was on his way to stop Meta Knight, their last conversation still ringing loud in his mind and giving him an immense cause for concern.
Preparations continued to continue smoothly. That was, until the Warp Star was spotted heading at the ship at an alarming rate, setting off sirens throughout the ship. Hearing this caused Meta Knight to quicken his pace to the bridge.
"What's going on here?" he asked upon entry.
"Take a look, sir! Kirby's here! He's flying this way!"
Hearing that from Axe Knight caused Sailor Dee and Mace Knight to panic as well.
"Oh no! What do we do!?" "He mustn't interfere with our plans!"
"Both of you, quiet down!" Vul snapped before turning to his superior. "Lord Meta Knight, what is your command?"
"It's just as I thought..." Meta Knight thought before walking over to a microphone on the bridge and speaking aloud into it, his voice echoing over the intercom. "All on deck, prepare for battle! All others, prepare for takeoff!"
"YES, SIR!"
With those orders given, all the crew members went to their according duties. While the knight had expected Kirby to come and stop him, what he did not expect was for him to have arrived so soon. Did he somehow predict that this would happen? No, there must be something else behind it.
"You seem a bit more quiet than usual, sir." Vul suddenly spoke.
Not long after that statement, Axe Knight spoke up again. "Captain Vul, Kirby's infiltrated the rocket valve!"
"What?! Throw the Heavy Lobster at 'im!"
"Yes, sir!"
With that, his second-in-command seemed to completely forget about his question. There was a very obvious reason for the sudden moment of silence. It was because of how unpredictable that hero was. It was at that moment that a video of Kirby appeared on one of the security camera screens.
"Kirby's just behind the nozzle now!" Mace Knight shouted.
"We're ready for takeoff now! She can fly at any time!"
"HURRY IT UP! WHERE'S THE HEAVY LOBSTER!?" Just as Vul shouted that, the giant metallic robot known as the Heavy Lobster dropped down and engaged the pink puff.
"Kirby is currently fighting the Heavy Lobster!" Sailor Dee shouted. Now was their chance.
"Initiate takeoff! We'll blow Kirby away!" Meta Knight commanded.
"Ok! Main engine ignition!"
"Now! Takeoff!"
With a blast of flames from the exhaust, Kirby and the Heavy Lobster were blown off the ship as the battleship lurched forward and began its ascent.
With Kirby now out of sight, the crew seemed to breath a collective sigh of relief.
"Looks like Kirby was blown into the ocean." Axe Knight reported, looking at the camera feed.
"Hmm... That was too close..." as Mace Knight uttered that, Trident Knight entered and looked at the camera feed as well.
"Thankfully, we won't have to worry about that guy anymore."
While everyone else was starting to relax, Meta Knight remained as focus as ever. He might not have known Kirby for very long, but he was undoubtedly sure of one thing: Kirby had a determination that rivaled his own. The fact that Kirby was able to arrive so quickly and was only knocked off the ship thanks to good timing and luck proved to Meta Knight that he couldn't afford to underestimate his pink foe.
"Sir, is something bugging you?" Vul asked, clearly sounding concerned for his leader.
"I'm fine, Captain Vul, nothing you need to be worried about." Meta Knight replied, his tone removing some of Vul's concerns. The avian captain looked out the bridge's large windows and grinned.
"This moving fortress, the Halberd... soon, it will rule over everything in Dreamland!" Vul said, utterly proud of the ship he had a large hand in building.
"Yes, but first a little test of its powers. Men, set course to Grape Gardens!"
"Yes, sir!"
Grape Gardens was an ideal place to test out an aerial battleship. It was a place full of airships and buildings high in the sky. It would be a great way to make his presence known. Soon, the entirety of Dreamland will be prepared for whatever dangerous being may attack next. Not only that, but with that greedy, idiotic self-proclaimed king out of the picture, order can be brought to this land.
"...what in the name of...?" Axe Knight suddenly uttered, looking at one of the cameras.
"What is it?" Vul questioned.
"It's Kirby! He's flying after us!" On the screen was the pink puff riding on the Warp Star, attempting to land on the ship.
With a few clacks of the keyboard Mace Knight followed up. "Ok, the main cannons are online! Should we fire?"
"FIRE AWAY! FIRE!" There was a loud blast as the cannon resounded and the Warp Star was wrecked, causing Kirby to fall out of the sky.
"Bullseye! He's fallen into the woods!" Axe Knight confirmed the hit.
"Alright, that'll do it! That should take care of him now!" Vul responded with a laugh.
"I wonder..." Sailor followed, speaking to no one in particular.
As much as Meta Knight hoped that Vul was right, Sailor did seem to have a point. There was no doubt that Kirby would attempt to board the battleship yet again. The child, again, was persistent. But even then, there still remained a chance. All he would have to do is keep blocking his attempts to make it on to this ship and everything will be fine. All he had to do is remain one step ahead of him. This was like a game of chess. No, this was multiple board games in one. This was chess, go, and shogi, a complex amalgamation of strategy games that no child should be able to understand, minus shogi. Even Kurabe could never fully understand shogi. There was no way that someone like Kirby would be able to understand it.
It didn't take long for Kirby to, once again, try to board the Halberd, but this time he wasn't alone in his attack.
"What in the heck is that?!" Trident Knight yelled out, gaining everyone's attention.
With Kirby was giant red-and white bird, with talons that look like they could tear a mountain apart in seconds.
"So, this is Dyna Blade." Meta Knight spoke aloud.
"Dyna Blade, sir?" Sailor questioned.
"A powerful creature native to Popstar. If we don't take care of her now, it will spell trouble for us. Men, focus everything on Dyna Blade!" Meta Knight commanded.
All of the Halberd's available weapons aimed at the larger than life bird. Dyna Blade tried her best to avoid getting hit, unfortunately she proved to be an easy target and was shot down. Unfortunately for the Meta-Knights though, Kirby managed to get on board once again.
"Javelin Knight, damage report!"
"No damage detected, sir."
That was at least a relief.
"We've managed to shoot down Dyna Blade!" Axe Knight confirmed the results.
"But... but... Kirby is on deck!" Mace Knight stuttered.
"What do we do now!?"
"All of you relax. We must handle this calmly." Just as Meta Knight said that, he was interrupted by his second-in-command slamming on the intercom.
"LISTEN, YOU LUBBERS! I WANT YOU ALL AFTER THAT KIRBY!"
It seems that this was where the true battle of wits began. As long as he can prevent the puff from destroying the battleship, all will be fine.
Suddenly, the child was ambushed by soldiers.
"You've gone far enough, Kirby."
"Now, you will know the power of Meta Knight!"
"Fight!"
The battle began and the puff fought back. While Kirby was fending off every foe that got close to him, Meta Knight took the opportunity to study his current enemy. What he saw both confused and intrigued him. Kirby was donning a backward hat and was swinging around a yo-yo. A child's plaything, and he was easily taking out every soldier that got in his path of destruction. The way he was swinging it around, one would think that he was using a mace but no, it was just a simple yo-yo. He was even able to use it like a chain and grab a hold of unlucky targets, tossing them around like ragdolls. A small part of him couldn't help but be impressed by Kirby's combat abilities. To turn a harmless toy into a dangerous weapon of mass destruction is no small feat. Now if he was this skilled with a toy, just how strong will he be with an actual weapon at this point?
"Kirby, you will certainly be my biggest challenge, and I wouldn't have it any other way." He thought with a slight smile.
"Sir, it looks like Kirby's trying to get on deck." Mace Knight looked at the security camera monitors.
"Oh? Then let's guide him in front of one of the cannons. Surely that'll take him out."
Despite Captain Vul's suggestion, Meta Knight had a feeling that it wouldn't exactly work. Kirby has been constantly proving to be more than just any average warrior he's fought. However, anything would be better than nothing.
"Kirby's now approaching Main Cannon #2." Axe Knight reported, causing Vul to smirk.
"Hmph! That kid's gonna be burnt to a crisp!" He burst into laughter. "Ha ha ha ha ha!"
"Ah ha ha ha ha ha!" Sailor followed along.
"Bwa ha ha ha ha! Gahaha!" The second-in-command stopped the moment he noticed Meta Knight looking at him in slight annoyance. "...hmph."
It was here that the knight began to think. If this was indeed a complex game of chess, go, or shogi, the best course of action would be to read his moves. So to say, attempt to read the board from his opponent's perspective. Now, if that was the case, why would Kirby approach the main cannons? Was he that easily guided to it or was it because he wished to destroy the biggest threat to him staying on the ship?
"Sir, are you ok?" This time, it was Sailor Dee asking with a worried expression.
"I'm perfectly fine, thank you for your concern."
Honestly, he was more annoyed that his concentration was broken than anything. It was then that a large explosion echoed from the direction of Main Cannon #2 followed by panicked screams.
"What's going on?"
"Main Cannon #2 was destroyed!"
"...excuse me?"
"The cannon's a wreck! We can't use it!"
"What?! How could this be!?" Vul slammed his fists on the table as he shouted that.
"Do you have him on radar?" Meta Knight managed to say that as calmly as possible.
"Sir, he's currently heading for the left wing!"
The moment Axe said that, Sailor looked troubled. "You don't think he'd..."
There was no need to finish that sentence.
"EVERYONE! WE NEED TO KEEP KIRBY AWAY FROM THE LEFT WING!"
The left wing? Of course. Kirby was trying to send this whole ship crashing down. The best option would be to send more troops to attack him, especially the more powerful ones. The more powerful, the better, assuming that Kirby's goal is to take down the battleship. It's back to the board then. What will his opponent's next move be? There should be some enemies blocking his path. If they could at least stall him enough to overwhelm him with enemies, they can likely make it.
Shortly after that thought occurred to him, a massive explosion rocked the ship, making everyone in the bridge tilt to one side and fall over like dominos.
"Report!"
"The left wing is destroyed! Damage to 74% of the wing!"
"You have got to be kidding me!"
"We're starting to lose stability because of it!"
"Retract the sails! Give more lift to the left wing!"
"Yes, sir!"
At this point, Meta Knight knows they are only doing damage control. Had he really failed to read Kirby's actions that badly? Is there something else going on? Is there another factor he isn't accounting for? He knows that this boardgame logic isn't perfect, but there's no way it could be this flawed.
"He's headed for the right wing next. Send soldiers to defend that area." Meta Knight finally said.
"Understood, sir!"
"Where is he anyway?" Vul asked, getting keyboard clacks in response.
"I think he's inside the cabin now..." Mace Knight uttered.
"Got him on radar! He's in the ducts!"
The second-in-command gave a look of slight confusion. "The ducts? What's he doing there?"
"Oh, he's moving through them now!"
Sailor Dee scratched his head. "Is he lost or something?"
"...no, he's trying to get to the right wing." Meta Knight uttered. If his mental chess field was correct, that would be what Kirby's next target is.
"Wait...I just thought of something..." Vul said with a smirk. The entirety of the bridge turned their gaze towards him.
As Kirby kept advancing, Vul was just about ready for his plan to be sprung into action.
"Are we all ready? The second-in-command asked.
"Are we really doing this?" Axe Knight sighed. Normally, he'd be all for what Vul had in mind, but the current situation isn't exactly what one would call normal.
"Hmph. I know we'll regret this..." Mace Knight added, agreeing with his friend.
"Shut it! Now is our only chance to finish him off!" Vul shouted, clearly letting the tension of the situation get to him. "This time we will succeed! Heavy Lobster, away!"
With that command, the Heavy Lobster was once again sent into battle. At first, things seemed to be going extremely well for the Heavy Lobster, as Kirby did nothing except keep his distance, occasionally shooting a few stars at it, but he failed to damage it.
"Bwahahahaha! Crush him! CRUSH HIM!" Vul shouted out in excitement.
Meta Knight, however, did not share his second-in-command's excitement. In fact, he felt quite the opposite. The Heavy Lobster was quite a powerful machine, he couldn't deny that. However, he noticed something that no one else did. Kirby was intentionally letting Heavy Lobster run amok, smashing and destroying anything that got in its way.
"So that's his strategy, huh? He's using our power against ourselves..." Meta Knight mumbled to himself.
"Ahhh! It looks like our ship is falling apart! The damage on the inner ship is rising!"
"Don't worry about that! Just press on!" It seemed that Vul had gotten too invested into defeating Kirby.
Eventually, the pink puff stopped running and turned to face his robotic chaser.
"HAHAHA! Kirby's trapped now! There's no chance of him evading the Heavy Lobster now!" Vul exclaimed loudly with a hearty laugh.
"If only it were that simple..." Meta Knight muttered to himself, his eyes glued to the battle.
There was mostly silence on the bridge as the others were also watching, holding their breath. Each powerful attack Heavy Lobster threw out was easily avoided by its pink opponent. To make matters worse, Kirby would inhale and spit back out the mini Lobsters Heavy Lobster would create, causing serious damage and further whittling it down. It appeared that no matter what Heavy Lobster did, the puff was already two steps ahead. Instead of Kirby being cornered like Vul and others thought, it seemed that the Heavy Lobster was the one who was trapped. Then, something peculiar happened. The Heavy Lobster sent out what appeared to be a red-orange blob. Whatever such a weak attack was supposed to do Meta Knight wasn't sure, as Kirby already inhaled it. But instead of spitting it back out, he fully absorbed it, gaining a blue-gray hat and more importantly, a paintbrush.
Meta Knight let out a heavy sigh.
"It's over." He stated, more to himself than anyone in particular, receiving a few questioning gazes in response.
Yes, Meta Knight knew exactly what was about to happen. He knew that the Paint Ability was one of the most powerful Copy Abilities a Star Warrior could use. At Kirby's current skill level, he could probably only use it once before it disappeared, but even a single use of it would be more than enough. This was yet another "checkmate". Meta Knight started to leave the bridge room, already knowing the conclusion to this battle.
"Sir, where are you going?" Sailor asked, noticing him walking away.
"To get some fresh air."
As he left, no one noticed Meta Knight slip a lemon drop underneath his mask. Before he could walk away further, he heard the sound of splattering, likely Kirby using the Paint Ability, and shouting.
"Captain Vul! Heavy Lobster's eye has been destroyed!" Axe Knight yelled out.
"What?! Paint Ability, you say?!" Vul shouted out in panic.
"Oh no! He can't tell his left from his right anymore!" Mace Knight added.
"Rassa frassa blassa! Arrrgh!" There was slamming sounds, likely Vul hitting his fists and head against the wall of the bridge, until there was an explosion, indicating that the Heavy Lobster was completely destroyed.
A few minutes passed before there was suddenly another massive explosion, causing the ship to tilt again. Strangely, though, Meta Knight managed to keep his balance this time.
"...what was that? No...it couldn't have been!"
Slipping two more lemon drops under his mask, he reentered the bridge.
"Status report!"
"Uh...it looks like the Heavy Lobster's explosion took out the right wing."
After Mace Knight said that, a deafening silence consumed the room as the crew attempted to process what they just heard.
"Hm. Hmm. Having both wings destroyed might be just what we needed..." Vul seemed to mumble aloud. Meta Knight only stood in silence. However, it was clear that he was furious due to the aura he was giving off and the faint cracking sound of hard candy breaking.
"Kirby's climbing around the outside of the ship now! He seems to be heading for the helm!" Axe Knight shouted.
The helm? Why would Kirby be heading here? Meta Knight returned to his mental chessboard and attempted to figure out what his opponent plans on doing next. The helm is where the ship is controlled would that mean he's coming here then? No, if that was the case, he would come here directly. But then where would he be going?
"Axe Knight, where is he now?"
"Oh...uh..." There were a few keyboard clacks before an answer. "Kirby is currently moving along the base of the ship."
Vul seemed to frown at that. "The base, huh? Not much we can do to him there...but the wind is strong."
"And it's cold." Sailor added.
"And it's high." Axe continued.
"And it's scary." Mace finished.
"...all right, you lot."
The base of the ship? That's a little unusual.
"I feel like I'm missing something... why would Kirby be moving along the base of the ship?" Meta Knight thought. There was one option that stood out in his mind, but the pathway was still extremely indirect. Regardless, that thought was the worst-case scenario.
"...could he be heading for the reactor?"
An indescribable feeling of dread built up in him.
Over the next several minutes, the bridge was actively giving out orders to attack the pink intruder and do as much damage control as possible. Meta Knight knew all of this was just that. Damage control. There were very little options left.
All of this was going on until Axe Knight gave a shout. "Sir! Kirby has reached the reactor!"
"Are you kidding me?! If the reactor's lost, this is all over for sure!" Mace Knight sprinted over to the radar and indeed saw that Kirby was in that location.
An uneasy silence filled the room.
Sure enough, Meta Knight's fears were proven true. Meta Knight returned to his mental gameboard to see if there was anything he could do to turn around this situation. Send more soldiers? No, that has already proven to be ineffective. Send the crew on the bridge? No, there wouldn't be enough time. Gamble on Kirby being unable to figure out how to destroy it? No, Kirby was persistent. There was no escape. No matter what solution he proposed to the gameboard, he was only able to reach one conclusion. Checkmate. At this point, Meta Knight was openly eating his lemon drops, no longer caring if anyone saw him.
"Never fear, everyone. I don't think Kirby can do anything to the reactor." Vul said, trying to act as confident as he could. However, everyone besides Sailor could tell it was just an act, considering how heavily he was sweating.
"So long as a reflected laser doesn't hit the reactor, it'll be invincible." Sailor added, his confidence being much more genuine.
"Eeeyah! Don't even say things like that!" Vul squawked back.
Meta Knight simply sighed and started to prepare his trusty blade, Galaxia, for battle...and he also began to mentally prepare himself for what he knew was the inevitable.
For the first several minutes, it seemed like the reactor was going to be a problem for Kirby. He appeared to be struggling to understand how the security system worked. However, it wasn't too long after that when he began to use this newly discovered knowledge against the machine. It was only a matter of time until it happened. This whole ship was on borrowed time. That was when it happened. Panic broke out within the bridge.
"The reactor has been destroyed!"
"All of our Wheelie power sources are escaping!"
"Ahhh! What are you idiots doing!?"
Everything was falling apart, and all Meta Knight could do was watch. The power slowly began to flicker, indicating, indeed, that the reactor was taken out.
"All systems failing! Engines no. 3 and 5 are gone!" Axe Knight shouted.
"We're junked! Nothing left to do but crashed!" Mace Knight added.
Game set.
"We've failed...but there's nothing we can do."
Silently, Meta Knight walked over to the ship's intercom and spoke into it. "Attention to all crew! Evacuate ship immediately!"
"AHHH! THIS SHIP IS DONE FOR! I GOTTA GET OUT OF HERE!" He jumped a bit upon hearing Vul scream that and it seemed that everyone in the entire bridge collectively looked at the second-in-command. "I... I'm escaping now! Please don't think badly of me!"
Before anyone could say a thing, Vul rushed out the door. The knight turned his attention to the remaining members of his crew.
"So... now it's time for the rest of you to escape as well." He spoke, barely managing to keep his voice as calm as possible.
"No way!"
"Not a chance!"
"I'll stay until the bitter end!"
"We should finish off Kirby then all escape together!"
The sound of cracking hard candy was faintly heard, followed by a moment of complete silence.
"...you are all about to perish. Do as you please."
His men seemed stunned for a moment. Without another word, they then rushed out the door to engage Kirby, who had been making his way towards the bridge. Except for Sailor Dee, Meta Knight stood alone on the bridge.
"...I'm sorry."
Kirby was going to enter the room at any time. He could just feel it. In one hand, he clenched a sword to toss down to him. Sailor Dee had already hidden away as to not get hurt during the fight. At least, the knight hoped that he didn't. Honestly, his head felt a bit hazy. He didn't know exactly how he felt and was slowly beginning to lose his grip on...something. He silently reached into his cape and pulled out a small jar of lemon drops, shoving an entire handful of them into his mouth. He trembled a bit at the sudden burst of sour taste before resuming his wait.
It was not long after that a childish voice sounded out. "Ah! Meta Knight! There you are! I've been looking alllllll over for you...!"
Before Kirby could continue, he was suddenly cut off.
"This is the end, Kirby! Come meet your doom!"
The knight tossed down a sword, which planted itself firmly in the ground. The puff had an unsure expression on his face as he looked at the sword and then back at his opponent.
"What's wrong? Why are you doing this? This doesn't seem like something that you would do!"
The knight gave no response. What were these tactics? Was he trying to force him to feel sorry for him?
"Meta Knight?"
He gave no response.
Hesitantly, Kirby picked up the sword and immediately, the knight threw off his cape and jumped down from his perch to engage his pink opponent. Meta Knight threw the first strike, which Kirby was only barely able to parry.
"Please stop, Meta Knight! We don't need to fight!"
Don't need to? That statement might be true, considering that Halberd was in the middle of falling apart and descending towards the ocean below. Meta Knight's plans were ruined, the outcome of this fight doesn't matter as he had already lost the war. But even still, his rage and pride as a warrior forbid him from running away from the Halberd's destroyer. He will defeat Kirby, even if it's the last thing he does.
Meta Knight warped behind Kirby and delivered three quick hits before jumping back. He raised his blade up into the air and stabbed it into the ground, using his signature Mach Tornado and sending his opponent up into the air. Kirby fell onto the floor with a heavy slam, bruises now beginning to appear everywhere on his body. Even with all the pain he had been subjected to, his eyes kept the same shine they had before, signifying that Kirby still had some fight in him. The two continued to trade blows, neither landing a clean hit.
It was here that Meta Knight noticed something. He recalled a lesson he learned a long time ago about how two warriors can communicate by clashing, no need for words. This was one of those circumstances, as Meta Knight could feel from his strikes a jumbled mess of conflicting emotions. Anger, sadness, hesitation and the one that confused him the most, happiness. It was small, the smallest of the emotions he felt, but it was still there. What exactly could his opponent be happy about? Destroying the halberd? No, that doesn't sound like Kirby at all. Is he happy because of the fight? That could be it, but that was unlikely due to what he said earlier. Then what? Then it hit him. It's possible that Kirby might feeling Meta Knight's emotions, too. Could that be why he's happy? What is it that Kirby is sensing?
Before he could continue that train of thought, Kirby managed to deliver a clean downwards slash, cutting Meta Knight's mask clean in half. For a brief moment, the knight was surprised by this sudden action, but surprise quickly gave way to anger. In a fit of pure rage, Meta Knight was about to strike once again but suddenly the floor began to shake violently. The knight still had enough sense left to understand what that meant. Giving Kirby one final glaring look, he warped away, grabbed the hidden Sailor Dee and warped out of the room completely. Not long afterwards, the room that he and Kirby had just fought in exploded, likely due to a combination of the Halberd's destruction and the intensity of their duel.
The moment the knight left the room, he felt something. He couldn't describe it, but a certain instinct that had become dormant long ago began to awaken within him again. It was because of that instinct that Meta Knight at this point had only one thought running through his head: get Kirby. He figured that explosion wouldn't have been enough to do Kirby in, and sure enough, he soon spotted Kirby riding off on one of the escaped Wheelies. Just as the knight was about to take off, he was stopped by something tugging on his cape. Turning around he saw Sailor Dee with a worried and slightly frightened expression, holding what appeared to be a spare mask.
"Thank you, Sailor. Now, get to somewhere safe."
"What about you, sir?"
"I have unfinished business."
With that, Meta Knight transformed his cape into wings and took off after the fleeing Kirby.
However, the Waddle Dee only grew more concerned for his superior. There was something... off about the way he spoke. It lacked any of the previous emotion the knight had shown up to this point.
Completely ignoring everything falling apart around him, Meta Knight flew at mach speeds, easily catching up to the young hero in a matter of seconds.
Kirby attempted to shout something but was quickly cut off by the single phrase the knight shouted towards him:
"I won't let you escape!"
As the pink puff looked back, he noticed the knight's eyes and voice devoid of any emotion besides that of pure anger. It was almost as if something else entirely had taken control of him. Not only that, but Meta Knight's fighting style had also completely changed as well. Normally, his style was methodical, watching, and waiting for an opening to strike while carefully dodging and blocking any attack that got near him. Now though, he was less like a calculated warrior and more like a wild animal, blindly attacking without a care about technique. It was like that for the knight as well. His mind was almost completely blank, the only thought that was present was his current objective: elimination. Only one thought was present in Kirby's mind as well: to escape.
Maneuvering his Wheelie partner quickly through the crumbling battleship, he moved quickly to avoid all of Meta Knight's sword attacks. He was in a full-on panic. Soon, he could see the edge of the battleship. Just a bit longer, he would be safe at last! With one final push, he jumped off the battleship, barely managing to dodge a final sword attack as he fell out of the sky. He felt himself falling... falling... falling... until he could feel that he had finally landed on solid ground. With one look back towards the sunset, he watched as the Halberd fell into its watery grave. As if quietly knowing, yet still haunted by what had happened, he and his Wheelie friend drove off.
"...!"
It was evening when Meta Knight finally regained his senses. He looked around and noticed that he had landed on a cliff overlooking Orange Ocean. Then he remembered.
"Damn it! Damn it! DAMN IT! DAMN IT!"
Everything.
"Damn it...!"
Despite how long this chapter is, it actually didn't take to long to complete.
Might actually be my favorite of these so far.